


The Hallway

by deviltakethehindmost



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-30
Updated: 2014-09-30
Packaged: 2018-02-19 07:43:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2380361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deviltakethehindmost/pseuds/deviltakethehindmost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas and Jimmy stand at the end of the corridor as Jimmy gets ready for his meeting with Lady Anstruther but then he does something rather unexpected. Set during Series 5 Episode One.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hallway

Thomas wasn’t exactly sure why he was helping Jimmy sleep with Lady Anstruther. He was head over heels in love with the man and yet here he was helping him sneak into another’s arms. A pair of arms that were very much female.

They went over the plan once more once they arrived at the end of the corridor and then Jimmy went on his way. But then he stopped.

“Mr Barrow?” he called, his voice uncertain.

“Yes, Jimmy?” Thomas replied in a voice that matched Jimmy’s.

Jimmy slowly turned back around to face the under-butler while fidgeting with the cuff of his jacket, he appeared to be deciding exactly how to word what he was about to say.

“Well? Come out with it already, we can’t both be standing about here all night,” Thomas exclaimed, trying to make his tone light hearted but even to his own ears it sounded flat and fake.

‘It’s just…well…you’re always so nice to me and I can never understand why because…I mean…I’ve been done some terrible things to you and you’ve never hurt me or tried to do terrible things back…and I just…look,” Jimmy stuttered, obviously not having managed to decide how to word his speech.

As Jimmy spoke Thomas took a few steps towards the rather distraught footman who was blushing more heavily as each second passed.

“You’re always doing favours for me or something and I just…want to say thank you because I really do appreciate it, Mr Barrow, I really do appreciate the friendship and kindness you’ve given me.”

“Right, Jimmy, that’s wonderful but now is hardly the time to attempt to boost my self confidence. Just go and have your fun with Lady Anstruther, would you?”

When Thomas said this Jimmy visibly flinched and took another step towards Thomas, who was now completely mystified by the footman’s intentions.

“Thomas. Shut up. For once this isn’t about your ego, alright?” Jimmy snapped, causing Thomas to raise an eyebrow at him.

“What is it about then?”

“I need another favour alright.”

“You could have just bloody well told me that in the first place instead of giving me that big bloody speech,” Thomas chuckled slightly in disbelief.

This caused Jimmy to look physically pained.

“It’s more than I would normally ask.”

“Would you ask it already then?” Thomas snapped, his patience growing thin.

“In about two minutes Lady Anstruther is about to exit her room to have a snoop around and see if I am on my way. She will, of course, at that point see us here as we are directly in her line of vision.”

Thomas wasn’t sure where Jimmy was going with this at all. This was a completely unexpected turn of events, it wasn’t very often that something surprised Thomas.

“You see I really don’t want to go into that room with her because I know she’ll make me do things with her.”

“Then why are we risking our arses being here?” Thomas replied, his voice raising slightly.

“Stay quiet, would you?” Jimmy murmured as he looked around quickly to make sure no one had heard them, “If I don’t do something that’ll put her off for good, she’ll keep on sending me those letters and appearing and Downton and I just don’t want that to happen anymore.”

“And where do I come into this?”

“Well,” Jimmy began, an embarrassed smile forming on his cheeks.

However, before Jimmy could finally reveal his grand plan the door of the room in which Lady Anstruther was spending the night creaked open. It was at that moment Thomas saw Jimmy makes his decision.

Before Thomas could even consider reacting, Jimmy shoved him against the wall and slammed their lips together with a little more force than was necessary. He just about registered Lady Anstruther’s shocked gasp when Jimmy decided to move on to his neck, sucking and biting on a spot where Thomas knew a mark would remain. It was above the line of his collar and Carson was bound to go a startling shade of red when he saw it. It was rather odd that while the man he was in love with was kissing him so passionately, he was more worried about bloody Carson. 

“Jimmy.”

But the man ignored him and continued with that he was doing.

“Jimmy, what the hell is going on?”

Still he was ignored.  
“Jimmy!”

After being ignored for the third time, Thomas had no choice but to push Jimmy away from him with as much force as he could muster.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he exclaimed, as Jimmy looked from him to the door of Lady Anstruther’s room which had slammed shut only seconds before.

“Making sure she never bothers me again,” Jimmy replied with a smirk.

Thomas could do nothing but stare at Jimmy incredulously for around thirty seconds. Then the feeling of anger rising from deep in his stomach made him snap out of it.

“You’re such an arsehole, Jimmy Kent, do you know that?”

“Wait, what?”

“You know exactly how I feel and yet you decide to use me like this in one of your ridiculous schemes,” Thomas raged.

Jimmy frowned in confusion and then it appeared to hit him, there was a sudden dawn of realization as he managed to comprehend what Thomas was saying.

“Oh shit.”

With that Thomas turned and began to walk away. He got about three paces down the corridor when Jimmy grabbed his arm and pulled him back around to face him.

“Thomas, stop being an ignorant fool and listen to me,” Jimmy commanded, “I had two reasons for kissing you tonight. One was to get rid of Lady Anstruther for good. The second was because I’ve been waiting for a good excuse to kiss you for so long now that I was getting desperate.”

For a few moments Thomas just stared at him, his mouth hanging agape and he tired to process what had just been said. Eventually a small smile formed on his lips.

“Well, why didn’t you say that earlier,” he grinned and pulled Jimmy in for another, gentler kiss.


End file.
